The concrete road leading to the barracks of the 368th Artillery Brigade is covered with green trees and cool lakes. Before my eyes is Battalion 1 with a newly planned, spacious, and clean unit campus. The row of level 4 houses a few years ago has now been replaced by two rows of two-story houses facing each other; the newly built Ho Chi Minh Room is spacious with full amenities from books, newspapers, tables, chairs to sound and lighting equipment, serving the common activities of the entire Battalion. Lieutenant Colonel Pham Viet Manh, Political Commissar of Battalion 1, shared: "Thanks to the attention and investment of superiors, the Battalion has been basically rebuilt with many amenities to serve the living, studying, and resting of the soldiers."

An art performance performed by officers and soldiers of Artillery Brigade 368 in coordination with its sister unit.

Having said that, Mr. Manh took me on a tour and added that, while in the past, soldiers' clothes were dried on clotheslines behind the Battalion's house, now they have been planned into a communal drying house with a sheet roof to protect them from the rain. There is a clothes dryer in the drying house to ensure that the soldiers' clothes are dry and clean on rainy or humid days. The bathroom area for non-commissioned officers and soldiers is equipped with a hot and cold system; propaganda signs, emulation bulletin boards, youth clubs, and physical training and sports equipment are all newly renovated, systematically and neatly planned.

Interspersed among the houses are rows of shady green trees, miniature orchid gardens, mushroom houses, rows of stone benches under old trees... adding to the cool, peaceful green space of the unit. Living, studying and training in such a green, clean and beautiful environment seems to "soften" the hard training hours on the training ground of the officers and soldiers here. Private Lu Van Linh, Squad 7, Platoon 9, Company 3, Battalion 1, confided: "When my family visited me at the unit, they saw with their own eyes the spacious and clean place to eat, live and study, and the dedicated and thoughtful officers at all levels, so they felt very secure and always encouraged me to try my best to train and complete all tasks well."

During my days in the unit, what moved me most was the camaraderie, the camaraderie, expressed in love, care, and mutual support. The soldiers in their twenties, tough in field uniforms on the training ground, although sweat soaked their shoulders, still kept a warm smile on their sunburned faces. I followed Platoon 9, Company 3, Battalion 1 into the training session to prepare for the "3 explosions" test for new soldiers. In the blazing sun of the Central region, on the training ground, the platoon officers and soldiers were still diligently practicing throwing grenades and shooting guns. In the vast space, I only heard loud shouts echoing along with the early summer cicadas, without hearing any complaints of fatigue. Each movement was performed decisively and accurately by the soldiers, demonstrating the results of a serious training process and a high sense of discipline.

Soldiers of Battalion 1, Artillery Brigade 368 enjoy performing arts during break.

After the training session, Private Lang Duy Manh, Squad 9, Platoon 9, from Thuong Xuan, Thanh Hoa , said that when he first joined the army, Manh was extremely homesick. But gradually, thanks to the encouragement of his teammates and the sharing of his officers, Manh saw that the unit was not only a place for training but also a second family. “In the unit, although we came from different hometowns, we always considered each other as brothers. When we were sick or had a slight fever, our teammates would bring us porridge and medicine,” Manh shared with a gentle smile.

In the 368th Artillery Brigade, comradeship is not an empty concept, but exists in every gesture and action of daily life. From sharing a meal with half a portion of meat to rolling up sleeves to help each other with laundry, or quietly folding a blanket that is not square for a comrade after the alarm clock.

Not only being closely connected within the unit, the officers and soldiers of the 368th Artillery Brigade are also a close bridge between the Army and the people. Colonel Truong Hoai Nam, Political Commissar of the Brigade, said: “Over the years, the unit has always maintained a close relationship with the people in the area where it is stationed. Not only helping people overcome the consequences of natural disasters, floods, participating in fighting forest fires, but also in regular tasks such as: Participating in cleaning up village roads, alleys, schools, martyrs' cemeteries; building intra-field roads, clearing irrigation systems... all of these tasks are the connecting thread for the unit to build and foster a closer relationship between the army and the people”.

From those seemingly simple actions, I see the great significance of Uncle Ho's soldiers. They not only know how to hold guns and practice on the training ground, but also know how to share, listen, and love with a sincere heart. Therefore, whether in wartime or peacetime, the officers and soldiers of the Vietnam People's Army in general, and the officers and soldiers of the 368th Artillery Brigade in particular, still silently contribute day and night to maintaining the peace of the Fatherland.

Article and photos: DUY THANH

    Source: https://www.qdnd.vn/quoc-phong-an-ninh/xay-dung-quan-doi/dep-canh-quan-dep-tinh-nguoi-829386